Christopher Close

How To

How to Set Your Preferred Apple Home Hub

If you have multiple HomePods or Apple TVs in your smart home, you may notice that the Home app doesn't always pick the most centrally located or the most powerful home hub. This can lead to slower response times and disconnections, and it may even break Matter device automation. To better optimize your smart home, you'll need to know how to set your preferred Apple Home hub.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Review

Eve Motion Review: Smart, Speedy, and Ultra-Reliable

Motion sensors play a critical role in automating and securing our smart homes. With their wire-free ability to turn on the lights when our hands are full, and sending smart notifications for potential activity around our homes, it's hard to imagine life without them. This includes the Eve Motion, which I have been using to automate my home over the course of the past year.

Friday, July 5, 2024

How To

How to Update Matter Devices in the Apple Home app

Staying on top of the latest firmware updates is crucial for securing your Matter devices and ensuring your smart home runs smoothly. However, navigating through various vendor apps for each of your devices can make tracking down updates rather tedious.Thankfully, some Matter platforms—like the Apple Home app—can help by offering firmware updates directly to compatible devices.

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Garden Equipment

Matter is bringing smart home convenience outdoors with connected lighting, sensors, plugs, and weather-ready automation

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible IR Blasters

In our guide to the best smart plugs, we covered how they are a simple, yet effective way to add Matter capabilities to older devices with physical controls. However, smart plugs aren't so hot when it comes to devices that don't save their state after powering down or for those that rely on a remote. For these types of devices, you'll need to turn to a Matter-compatible IR Blaster to get the job done.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Review

TUO Smart Button Review: Matter Gets Physical

For some smart home users, there are likely household members who don't quite share the same level of enthusiasm for home automation. For them—or just for those times when pressing a button is just plain quicker and easier—having a smart button or remote in the home is a must. Enter the TUO Smart Button.

Monday, June 17, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Power Strips

When you need the versatility of smart plugs for your desk or behind a TV, you'll want to consider a Matter-compatible smart power strip with USB (or without).

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Review

Eve Energy Smart Plug Review: Privacy at a Premium

To stand out in today's smart plug market, vendors will need to look for new ways to differentiate themselves from the plethora of low-cost alternatives. One company, Eve Systems, hopes to do so by offering their Eve Energy Smart Plug that focuses on user privacy while utilizing cutting-edge technology.

Monday, June 3, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Lamps To Light Up Your Life

No smart home is complete without proper lighting that you can control from the couch or from across the world. And while you may think to look for a smart bulb, plug, or switch when building the connected home of your dreams, you may benefit more from an all-in-one solution like a Matter-compatible lamp.

Thursday, May 23, 2024

How To

How to Add a Matter Device to the Amazon Alexa app

Matter, the smart home standard that aims to unify the connected home is here, and with it comes significant changes—especially for Amazon Alexa users. Now, instead of trying to figure out whether a device integrates directly with Alexa or through a Skill, you'll only need to scan a QR code to set up compatible hardware.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Buttons and Remotes

Instead of wading through potential distractions on your phone, or shouting to a voice assistant the next time you need to toggle the lights, consider a Matter-compatible button or remote. With just a click, Matter-compatible buttons and remotes can turn on the lights, close the blinds, or fire up a movie night scene with ease.

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Strip Lights

LED strip lights are truly a smart home staple - and for good reason. These flexible wonders of light can bring color and ambiance to pretty much anywhere. Whether you are looking for a strip light for underneath the cabinets, or you want to amp up your holiday displays, you've come to the right place.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Explainer

How to Add a Matter Device to the Google Home app

If you are going with Google for all your smart home needs, you'll spend the bulk of your time managing devices in the Google Home app either on Android or iOS. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about adding your device to Google's smart home platform.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Explainer

How to Add a Matter Device to the Apple Home App

For iPhone users, Apple's Home app serves as a one-stop destination for controlling and managing your Matter devices. We'll show you how easy it is to add your Matter devices so you can be up and running with Siri voice and Apple Home app controls in minutes.

Monday, April 15, 2024

Explainer

The best Matter-compatible door and window sensors

If you want to enhance your home's security or add an extra touch of automation, consider installing one of the best smart door sensors or window sensors with Matter.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Motion Sensors

With the ability to detect motion, send timely notifications, and automate your home's lighting, motion sensors are essential to the modern smart home.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Smart Heaters

With the convenience, control, and potential cost savings they offer, Matter-compatible smart heaters are poised to become a popular choice for creating a personalized and efficient heating experience in your home.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Explainer

The Best Matter-Compatible Smart Speakers

As much as we love controlling our IoT devices from our phones, nothing beats the hands-free convenience of a smart speaker. If you are ready to control your home with just a shout, then you need a smart speaker. These are our top picks.

Monday, February 26, 2024